


First Days

by Fire_Fox_0111, Ice_Fox, Smylie, SupernaturalPhoenix



Series: SQJJ [1]
Category: RWBY, SQJJ (RWBY)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2019-08-23 15:50:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 12,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16621868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Fox_0111/pseuds/Fire_Fox_0111, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ice_Fox/pseuds/Ice_Fox, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smylie/pseuds/Smylie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupernaturalPhoenix/pseuds/SupernaturalPhoenix
Summary: A team  of Faunas just trying to get through Beacon Academy and become fully fledged Huntresses.Smylie: Phyllida SageSupernaturalPheonix: Q QuinceIce_Fox: Stella JaffarineFire_Fox_0111: Chiara Jaffarine.





	1. Phyllida Sage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own RWBY only some original characters and the plot.

The bullhead was crowed. To pass the time until we arrived at Beacon I tried to see if I could work out who were first years and who were returning for another year. I saw set of twins staring round in awe and I was inclined to do the same but I didn't want to catch flies so instead I watched the news that were be projected onto the windows. It was showing some faunus civil rightists and the Lisa saying that a peaceful protest turned nasty after the White Fang Turned up. Ugh it was people like that that made the faunus look bad.

The hologram faded and was replaced a projection of a woman with blonde hair and green eyes blabbing on about something to do with 'privileged few' and 'prestigious academy... world peace' blah blah blah duty as future huntsmen and huntresses'. She faded away and revealed a stunning view of the city of Vale.

Through my faunus-heightened senses, I heard someone retching and looked up to see a yellow haired boy, with seemingly only an archaic sword and shield at his side, running to the nearest bin and unattractively puking into it. My nose crinkled and the putrid stench reached me so I distracted myself with focusing on what would happen when we get to Beacon. 

I didn't have to wait long as the bullhead soon touched down and we all stepped off and gazed in wonder and the towering turrets of Beacon Academy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment any mistakes I may have made.


	2. Selena Quince

My heart pounded as I stared up at the towering spire. Beacon Academy. At last. I had walked all the way from the harbour. It had taken me ages, but it was worth it. The aches and pains that pulled at my limbs were nothing new. All the hours I spent training had paid off.

 

I was here.

 

There were so many people. It was almost intimidating but after seventeen years of solely on Menagerie, I was used to it. Silence was rare for me. But at least here I could belong. Among huntsmen and huntresses, I would belong. I would belong more than I did on Menagerie anyway. I would do it.

I had done it. I was at Beacon. The ridicule and scorn I received meant nothing now. The pain and fear and sweat and tears I had shed were finally worth it. I had dreamed of this for so long that to see it before me was surreal. I could scarcely believe it. I had fought for this dream for so long. Was it wrong for me to feel so proud? Lots of people get into the academies. But then lots don't, I suppose. I never really believed that I was good enough to get in. 

But I was.

I got in.

I was good enough.

And I was going to prove it.

I smiled. The airship carrying the other students soared overhead. Soon initiation would begin and I would meet my teammates. My friends. 


	3. Stella Jaffarine

This airship was to carry us to Beacon, Beacon Academy! I still couldn't believe it!

Looking around, people shared a similar level excitement. One girl was very animatedly talking to another girl, her tail wiggling whenever she got to an exciting part of what she was saying. All the other girl could do, was nod. Two sister's were hugging it out: one wearing brown and yellow, full of energy and excited; the other in black and red looking more nervous. A general bubble of talk filled the spacious airship. I looked excitedly into the face of my twin, Chiara Jaffarine who was also looking around with awe and excitement.

All thoughts were cut off when a hologram appeared of a huntress who introduced herself as Glynda Goodwitch. She proceeded with a cheerful, adjective-filled speech. One phrase that caught my attention was "among a privileged few" which I could most definitely agree with. This is Beacon Academy! Of course all students are privileged. Chiara and I were lucky to get in.

With a satisfying shimmer sound, the apparition faded away, leaving everyone, me included, to gasp and run to the window for the view. And it was a gasp-worthy view: the city of Vale lay below, then a stunningly blue river lay between towering cliffs, Beacon sat at the head. It was to beautiful to behold.

Then a thought struck me and I suddenly dived into my coat pockets, struggled around, juggled around then finally produced my scroll to take a picture of the view. Chiara lent towards me affectionately then said "Don't forget to send that home; they all love your photos and probably love this one even more."

At this I couldn’t help but smile as I struggled to capture the view in its full beauty. A little bit of re-adjusting caught one waterfall but then the sun’s shine wasn’t as quite beautiful. The longer I spent re-adjusting, the less I would be able to fit in as the ship lowered. Several hurried shots still managed to look stunning purely because of the landscape’s natural beauty.

The hum of the airship slowing and changing for landing reflected my nervous, excited mood. This was alway a moment I had looked forward to, but nearing that point actually brought on a nervous-excited feel. Chiara, being both my sister and my twin, recognised and shared that feeling. The girl dressed in black and red seemed to have taken the opposite approach and calmed her nerves at the sight of her goal.

Now, even people began to come into view milling around on the main avenue waiting for our ship to arrive. Actually waiting for **us**! A few Faunus were speckled amongst the crowd below. As we neared touchdown, they slowly gathered around the landing circle.


	4. Chiara Jaffarine

Sometimes there are journeys which seem to take an eternity, and yet you never want them to come to an end. For me, this was one of those journeys. I felt that Beacon was just a distant memory - or something I had invented in my imagination - not a real place, not the school I would be training at to become a Huntress. Maybe the airship would never land; maybe it would simply glide on through the scudding white clouds, over the carpet of sparkling sea, until my daydreams began to blur and I woke up in my bed at home...

But at the same time, I knew that I had to be prepared for my arrival at Beacon Academy. My weapon, Obscisor Spark, was sheathed across my back, but it was irresistible to touch the handle and imagine how I was going to fight, what moves I needed to prepare, how it would feel to engage in combat with students who might be just as skilled as myself, if not better.

That's my problem. I spend so much time imaginingthings, that I forget to interact with the real world. I knew it was unlikely that I would make any friends at Beacon - not just because there were so many humans who were probably disinclined to befriend a Faunus, but because I'm naturally so awkward and dreamy and introverted. _Not that I need any friends,_ I thought. _I've got Stella, and she's the closest friend I could possibly have._

Speaking of Stella... I glanced at my twin sister, who, like me, had spent most of the journey gazing out at the landscape below. Now she was pressing her scroll up against the window, trying to take a photograph without it blurring. I took a peek at the picture on her scroll and smiled; it was a beautiful photo, the sort that would be sold on postcards in shops across Vale. If we hadn’t both decided to become Huntresses, I expect she could easily have made a living as a photographer.

I suddenly became aware that the airship was losing height. It would have been easy to attribute the sinking feeling in my chest to the sinking of the ship - but I knew it wasn’t just that. It was apprehension. Suddenly I felt unready, unprepared, as if I had ended up here by an enormous accident, and would be sent back home as soon as they realised I didn’t belong here.  _No,_ I told myself firmly,  _don’t think like that. You deserve this. This is what you’ve always wanted._

Finally the airship touched down and we were released into the world, looking around in bewilderment and awe like newly-hatched chicks. Directly in front of us towered the needle-like turrets of what was to be not only our new training school, but also our new home. Beacon Academy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chiara Jeffarine's design:  
> https://www.deviantart.com/supernaturalphoenix7/art/Chiara-Jeffarine-from-SQJJ-784046706?ga_submit_new=10%3A1549222586&ga_type=edit&ga_changes=1


	5. (PS)

My heart pounded as I carefully picked my way along the stretching avenue leading up to the school. I felt my throat constrict with nerves. I had promised myself that this wouldn't happen; even though I was a faunus I wasn't worried about people bullying me, I was most worried that I wouldn't make any friends- not because they were faunusist- but because they didn't like me as a person. I lived in constant fear of not being liked and often lead to me not interacting with people so I didn't annoy them. I had spent many days just lolling around my apartment without the energy to do anything substantial except eat my way through my cupboards. Those were my low days. The days I cried myself to sleep because I felt awful. The days I wished my parents cared about me enough to want to live with me. I always made sure I did extra exercise and got plenty on sun and ate particularly well.


	6. The Shining Beacon (Q)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently we're naming chapters so... I'mma be lazy and steal the episode title.

I stood, watching the airship land. My sea ship docked first, and despite the long trek up, I had arrived before all the other students. I stood far away from where the others spilling out of the ship. Honestly, I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I only had the time I was supposed to arrive at. I could only assume students were given schedules on the ship.

 

There were a few crowds of people moving towards the entrance of the school. I looked between them and the ones hanging back. My credence had always been when in doubt, follow everyone else.

 

So I did.

 

I weaved in and out of people, keeping a careful edge of the larger groups. I didn't want to stand out but I wanted to stear clear of the thickest masses.

"Hello!" a bright voice in my ear chirruped. Instincts had me shooting forward and whirling  around. My hands hovered over my daggers but I didn't draw them. There was a girl standing right next to where I just was. She stared at me in utter confusion.

" _Don_ ' _t_ sneak up on me." I hissed as I relaxed.

She shrugged. She didn't strike me as a Huntress in training. But then again- what do I know?

"I'm Jasmine Tan." She said, completely oblivious to my obvious discomfort.

"Selena Quince." I replied, somewhat tersly. Jasmine didn't notice. She started walking along with me. She talked and talked. I'm not sure why she felt the need to share her entire life story with me 10 seconds after meeting me. I learned she had grown up on the nearby island of Patch, she had trained at Signal- which was like a prep school for Beacon- and she had a younger sister who was just starting her first year there.

I listened, giving nods and hums where appropriate. We were half way across the court yard when she gave a startled exclamation. "You have a tail!"

And there it was.

"I'm a Fanus."

"I've never met a faunus before." There was excitement and curiosity in her tone.

I looked up in genuine surprise. "You haven't?"

She shrugged casually. "Patch is a small place. We don't come into Vale often. I mean, there are faunus in Patch and Signal- I just never really spoke to them."

I relaxed. This girl had clearly lived a sheltered life, but she was open and eager. I could work with that. We had reached the huge doors to the school and filed inside. We followed the throng of students into the auditorium.

Jasmine kept close to me as the students spread out across the large room. At the front was a stage with two people on it: a tall man with grey hair and a green suit and a stern blonde woman. I recognised the man as the headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin. I assumed the woman was another professor or something. They waited a long while for all the students to have entered before the headmaster cleared his throat.

"I'll keep this brief." his voice was soft, the microphone amplifying his voice. Everyone fell silent and listened.

"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and learn new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

And with that, Ozpin moved away from the microphone and the woman took his place.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed!" Her clipped, curt tone was a sharp contrast to Ozpin's soothing, yet sombre voice.

Jasmine and I shuffled out of the hall with everyone else. I wasn't sure what to make of the headmaster's speech- if it even counted as a speech. But then again, I supposed, this was a Huntsman academy. It wasn't supposed to be normal.


	7. Welcome To Beacon (SJ)

One step was all it took to take me onto Beacon grounds.

A very long platform had extended from the airship down to the main isle. I had always had my scroll but all the extra technology here were both incredible and daunting. Thin lampposts lined the main avenue. There were also lights studded in the edge of the path, spaced out between the lampposts. It seemed like a whole flock of airships had arrived, all carrying a multitude of students.

At least there were trees. And bushes. And water. Yet even these were organised. A beautiful, still circlet of water surrounded the building, neatly intercepted by pathways. Closer to the school, fuzzy red trees stood on thin stalks of trunks. Above it all sat a magnificent crown in the landscape: Beacon Academy with Beacon Tower as the highest spike of all.

People were milling around or meeting up with old friends. Many knew each other from their previous combat school. So many faces were filled with pleasure; I wasn't sure what mine would show. I knew no one apart from Chiara. We hadn't gone to a combat school. From others talking on the airship about their siblings' experiences, I gathered that you were placed in a team practically randomly though you had a bit of choice in it and so did Professor Ozpin. Yet this was our dream come true. And everything was so much grander than I had imagined.

I got up on my scroll, the welcome letter Professor Ozpin had sent us, which included a map and where to meet. We followed the central pathway up to a grand entrance. Great oaken doors swung open with the arrival of the first few students. A grey archway framed the doorway, this itself framed by a larger arch. Patterns swirled within and above the outer arch, carved out of the stone in an intricate flow. Either side, bordering the doorway, two smaller arches framed two narrow windows topped with a circle encircling four smaller ones. Alcoves studded the rest of the curving wall, sloping off into the distance. Overall it gave the impression of an elegant and almost elven, church.

Upon entering, many gasped or simply craned their necks to look around the still beautifully designed interior with its high rising walls. A spherical light set in an ornate beam, hung apove the passing people. The sights I had seen this morning alone could have no words to describe them as beautifully as they were. I was in too much awe to even try and photograph it all.  It appeared to be a room for important celebrational events.  _Like us joining,_ I thought happily.

Seats lined the edges but people filed in to stand in rough rows in the centre. We followed their lead and ended up next to chipper blond girl who introduced herself as Rochelle. Unfortunately, she gave a loud squeak as she was unexpectedly brushed by Chiara's tail, though she immediately apologised and I could tell she was just easily scared. I wasn't sure how Chiara would take it. She had never been... _relaxed_ with the possibility of offending people.

It took a while for everyone to get in, though eventually the last few people came in to stare around. General chatter filled the room. Many people weaved in and out, talking to both old and new friends. Not entirely knowing what to do, Chiara and I viewed the pictures I had taken that day, praying my scroll would last out. A few showed a rather excited Stella and Chiara enjoying our picnic lunch above the clouds. It seemed so weird that it was only today that we had been excitedly dreaming of a far away place where you got to be whoever you wanted and fight with the grace and power that we had always admired.

Suddenly, the microphone whistled into action and a cough from Professor Ozpin signalled the beginning of his speech. A hushed silence fell.


	8. The Problem With Tails (CJ)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter’s so long. I must have gotten a bit carried away.

As the students swarmed from the airships, I gazed around in awe, torn between admiring my surroundings and keeping up with the crowd. It was the combination of stark, modern architecture and natural, tranquil green space which fascinated me; I had always thought of nature as being separate from the man-made and the technological, but at Beacon Academy the two seemed to be combined in harmony. For some reason, I had imagined Beacon as - what? Just a massive block of suburban concrete, with maybe a strip of grass and a few benches outside? Whatever I had been expecting, it wasn’t... _this._

For one thing, I actually had to lean back in order to take in the plethora of spires and towers and minarets, all stretching up towards the central tower in which I could see a series of strange lights shifting and glowing. For another thing, the school was surrounded by a lush green carpet of grass - even when I peered into the distance, I could still see the lawns and hills stretching away like an emerald-coloured blanket dotted with fuzzy trees. And the long promenade leading from the clifftop  up to the entrance, with its sunken lights and delicate banners, must have been at least a hundred metres in length, if not more. This place was huge. And stunning. And slightly daunting.

Eventually I stopped craning my neck to stare at the academy’s multitude of towers, and turned my attention back to the other students. Although Faunus were definitely a minority here, I spotted a few others shifting through the crowd; a girl with rabbit ears rising from her long brown hair had stopped to take a photograph, whilst in front of me, I thought I caught a glimpse of a fox tail.  _Stop staring,_ I told myself. Despite being a Faunus myself, I still get quite self-conscious about offending other people by staring at them. But if I averted my eyes when they looked at me, would they be offended anyway, if they thought I was avoiding them deliberately? _Please don’t be this awkward when you meet your new teammates._ But I knew it would take a long time for me to settle into a team. Like I said, I’m annoyingly introverted.

I followed Stella through the crowd, trying not to collide with anyone. Apparently spatial awareness is not my strong point, because Stella had to grab my arm a couple of times to drag me out of the way of other students, before I elbowed them or nudged them with my tail. Eventually we reached the entrance, preceded by a stone statue of a Huntsman and Huntress standing on a rock, with a surprisingly detailed stone Beowolf cowering below them. I paused for a moment to admire the statue, running my hand absently over the smooth grey rock, until Stella ushered me forwards again into the main hall where most of the students were already assembled. 

If the exterior of Beacon Academy was something to marvel at, the assembly hall was almost as astonishing. As Stella and I had been brought up in... well, not the most modern or technologically advanced setting, you can understand why we both marvelled at the domed glass ceiling, the array of turquoise lights, and basically just the huge scale of the room itself. So much space! Suddenly I was glad to be surrounded by so many people, because without them, the emptiness would have felt unnatural.

As we milled around with the other students, a girl with a blonde ponytail drifted up to my sister. “Hi!” she said chirpily. “I like your antlers!” (Yes, Stella has antlers. I have a red panda tail. We may be twins, but we’re non-identical). “I’m Rochelle,” she added. Then she gave a startled little scream. “Oh - something _brushed_ me!”

Oh no. I had brushed her with my tail. _Clumsy idiot._  Had I offended her? Would she hate me? “Oh gods I’m sorry I’msosorry I keep doing stupid things like that, my tail gets in the way all the time I’msosorry...” I gabbled stupidly, feeling my face go red. Fortunately I was cut off by the arrival of a figure on the vast circular stage.

I had never seen him before, and he had not yet been introduced. Still, it was obvious from his authoritative presence that he was the headmaster of Beacon Academy. This was Professor Ozpin.


	9. (PS)

I started making my way along the large courtyard. For some reason I felt horribly exposed and a tingle ran through me. I was on edge, adrenaline coursing hotly through me. Gods, why was I like this? I entered the large hall with the massive stage up front pressed against the back wall. Too many people...  
The headmaster stepped up to the microphone and delivered a short speech. It wasn't very encouraging. Then Deputy headmistress Goodwitch told us to gather in the ballroom for the night and that initiation would begin tomorrow. A flash of excited jolted in me. I always unwound by kicking some Grimm ass, but sleeping all together in a large hall was not a pleasant thought. For the past few years I had lived on my own in my apartment in Vale centre whole my parents lived in a large house in Atlas as high up accountants so I wasn't used to sharing. Also I was terrified that some one would make fun of my tail. That is why I am not living with my parents, the racks is much greater in Atlas.  
It would appear that, as Goodwitch dismissed us, that the student body was trickling gently away, together, but not. The flow took us to a large canteen and I steered myself away from the large groups and towards a solitary corner. There were three quietly chatting girls that seemed nice enough. I recognised two of them as the Faunus sisters that I saw on the ride here. I ungracefully plopped down near and sneakily eavesdropped on their conversation as I helped my self to the offered meal. Unfortunately all they were doing was awkward small talk and getting to know you stuff and I promptly zoned out.  
After lunch we were split into smaller groups and shown around the school by some of the professors. I was with no one I knew or recognised and we were shown round by Professor Larkspur who was young and kind. I was overwhelmed by the size of the school. It seemed to go on forever! There were a multitude of different classrooms, more rooms to spar in to count and even rocket propelled lockers to store weapons in! As I gazed at the key pad on my locker that would send it to any location, I wondered what it would be like to be in it while it flew, to be flying through the air in a small capsule.

The night came before I wanted it to, and it was actually as bad I though it would be. One misshap was me nearly killing my neighbour who infuriatingly glowed in the night. And nearly punching a busty blonde and a short black/red head who were having fisticuffs as I was trying fall asleep. That really annoyed me. I really don't know how I'll cope with a team; I need perfect conditions to sleep and I get terrible insomnia if it's not just right. Furthermore my sleeping bag was very uncomfortable and the floor was hard. The light coming through the thick curtains fell right on my face.  
I woken earlier than I was intending to which didn't improve my mood (I'm not a morning person) by a ginger who was with her (boy?)friend yelling at him to 'Wake up lazy butt!'  
This would be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is quite long sorry.


	10. Start The Countdown (Q)

I planted myself in the corner of the room. Jaz stuck close to me. It was almost enough to annoy me but I was the oldest of 6 children- I had the patience of a saint. Jaz reminded me a little of that life.

She chatted at me non stop. I pretended like I was paying attention but really, I was prepping myself for the explosion about to come. Everyone was getting into their pyjamas. I was slowly undoing the buttons on my purple shirt. Underneath I wore a yellow vest that did little to hide the criss- crossing mass of scars reaching up to my shoulders.

Jaz's mouth dropped open mid- sentence. Her eyes widened comically. I said nothing.

"What happened to you?!"

I raised my eyebrow cynically. "The job."

She blinked at me slowly.

Maybe I was to harsh with her, but if she couldn't handle it; she was in trouble. I pulled of the vest, revealing the full damage. Faded red marks stood out starkly against the skin of my back. They spanned the length of my shoulder blades to the middle of my back. Jaz was still staring at me.

I tugged my pyjama top over my head and covered most of it up again. My pyjama shirt was another vest, this one blue with a koala on the from. What? I come from Menagerie, its really warm there. To go with them was a pair of pink, checkered bottoms that were slightly to big for me. I got them second hand on my way over specifically because of Vale's climate.

I flopped back down against the sleeping bag under me.

Jaz pulled her scroll out of her bag and sent several messages. "I promised to message my family when I settle in." She chirruped. "Aren't you going to call yours?"

I shook my head. "Don't have a scroll."

She gaped at me yet again. “How?”

I shrugged. “Couldn’t afford it. The library will do for me.”

I closed my eyes then. I was losing the will to continue the conversation. It was touching to much on subjects I really wanted to avoid. I barely knew the girl in front of me: I didn’t want to share my bloody sob story with her. 

 

I had a knack of just closing my eyes and going to sleep. That’s what comes from being the oldest of 6 kids. But this was the part I was worried about. I loved my semblance to pieces- even though most people didn’t see much in it. My skin could glow on command. And in my sleep. 

I had tried to get it under control on my way over but I didn’t think I was successful. My little siblings loved having a night light and I couldn’t control what happened in my sleep. It was hard to supress my semblance. It was a part of me. It just felt so wrong to block off a aprt of myself that was so natural, that I was actually proud of.

Still I tried. For everyone else around me.

Initiation began tomorrow and we needed to be ready.


	11. If you would like to look this way... (SJ)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one's a chunky chapter!

Knowledge, dedication, protecting the people. Wasted energy, in need of purpose and direction. Ozpin's speech definitely had a less encouraging tone. He also said that the time spent at Beacon will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far and that it was up to us -training huntsmen (that was my thoughts anyway)- to take the first step. It was a speech that filled me with determination and made me hold yet more faith in the school. It was a short speech, not exactly what I was expecting either but it did the job. 

As our head teacher (it felt good to call him that) walked away, the woman who had been stood behind him, came forward to the microphone. To-the-point commands were issued from her. The few seconds of her talking seemed rather redundant and unnecessary. It ended with the simple statement: "You're dismissed." Slowly feeling seemed to spread back into the hall of students. Many were questioning the speech. I almost felt as if they were saying those negative comments about me. This was the biggest thing I had ever been a part of and I wasn't prepared to hear it dissed so soon. Silently, I made a promise to myself to give this academy all I could. After all, that was what a huntsman was.

I felt inclined to stick it out with Rochelle since she seemed alright and we had found each other. Gradually, all three of us noticed little groups seemed to be trickling out of a side door. We moseyed over, then we were mind-blown by the large corridor and off-routes that was beyond. Chiara helpfully supplied the suggestion of bringing the map up again on my scroll. Maybe with a little too much enthusiasm to show in front of a new person, I did as Chiara had suggested. After, several rotations and incorrect guesses, we realised that most of the flow seemed to be going to the canteen. That seemed a good idea so we followed both the people and the map to a narrow room filled with many benches. A few clusters of people seemed to barely fill the vast room.

Rochelle, Chiara and I walked down the isles of benches to the opposite end of the room. A couple of vending machines and a hot drink dispenser stood against the wall. Unfortunately, Chiara and I had eaten a very nice picnic loaf (that our mum only makes for special trips) above the clouds on the airship, so eating lunch was not an option. Normally, we wouldn't be allowed to have a snack, let alone this soon after lunch but I was sure it could be pushed aside for now for the sake of company. The only problem now was persuading my more righteous twin without causing too much of a scene.

Ten minutes later, us three were settled comfortably with a mocha, two small chocolate bars and a packet of crisps that Rochelle had insisted on sharing even after an out bursts of "Are you sure"s from both Chiara and me. It turned out that Rochelle (or Rochelle Janvier as she told us) came from Mistral which sounded wonderful. We had throughly exchanged each other's lives and  I believe, we could safely say we were friends.

Suddenly a message appeared on our scrolls, and judging by the hush that had descended quickly followed by murmurs, everyone else had too. It was from 'Glynda Goodwitch' who called for "All first year's to assemble in the auditorium in five minutes for a tour of the school". The volume of the canteen steadily rose as a mass of students rose and hurried for the exit. We joined the flow and got swept up in the stream that spat us out into the large room once more.

First Professor Goodwitch called out names categorising them into colours, containing approximately twenty students. Chiara was with me in the Orange group which I was pleased with. It seemed like they had kept people who had entered together, with each other. Then, she read out the name of the teacher for each group. Orange was with Professor Larkspur. We waved goodbye to Rochelle and headed over to where we could see orange scrolls waving in the air. We joined the group and turned our scrolls to an orange screen as well, as a beacon to others. Finally, when the group was all there, we set off for a tour of Beacon!

* * *

My first impression was of how much a maze the school was. It was slightly circular, appeared to have several rings of building, many floors and most of all, it was massive. Many rooms and corridors had multiple entrances and therefore exits just to confuse us even more. Without having an opportunity to consult my map, I became thoroughly lost, and every time I spent trying to work it all out, I missed a crucial part of the tour. I hoped Chiara was having more luck.

Whilst we were walking through a particularly confusing section which I knew I had no chance of following, I looked around at the people in our group. Rochelle wasn't here so I didn't really know anyone else. However I did see one girl with green trousers and a blue top who I had seen on the ship here. Now that I thought about it, she had also been behind us in the canteen. On all occasions she had been alone. I couldn't imagine coming to a new environment such as Beacon Academy without anyone by my side. I often value Chiara's friendship and company more than I show and it is during times like these when I actually realise how much she means to me.

Anyway, I decided that it was worth a try to see if she wanted to talk to me. After all, we had seen each other on numerous occasions, we both had green as one of our main colours and I forgot to mention she was also a Faunus with a fluffy fox tail. What could go wrong?

I knew from the "Hi" that I wasn't wanted. So I left it there. Juuust awkwardly shuffle away again. I couldn't understand it. Why choose solitude? Maybe someone in this group wouldn't share that view. I didn't have to wait too long, for shortly, a girl whose colour scheme was pink and blue bounded up. She was fairly short (a little shorter than me) but had long hair that almost reached her waist. Half of it was tied up in a bun and one strip was dyed pink which swirled around the bun. Eager to make conversation, she introduced herself as Latte Bronson, which I thought amusing because there wasn't a single bit of brown on her, only blue and pink. After a while, we were walking around the tour together, laughing and larking about. I could imagine that people would never put us together, but in a way, it worked. Around Latte I was a different person. I'm ashamed to say, I had forgotten all about Chiara. In my defence, she wasn't helping herself by being quiet and hanging back.

Professor Larkspur had come to a halt. Looking around, I saw infinite, what looked like futuristic coffins?!?, stretch down the room in rows with benches perforating the rows. Just when I was about to whisper to Chiara of Latte "What do you think these are?", Professor Larkspur said "Welcome to the locker room. Each of you will be assigned to a locker, which you can use to store basically anything (try not to keep half eaten mouldy bananas in there though) but primarily they are designed for you to store any extra armour, or your weapon, or your actual armour, or you know, anything you may need. I will give you a code which will be your only way of getting in, so try not to forget it. It is also super cool in the fact that you can send it to a certain location or summon it using your scroll. In other words, it flies! (Try to remain calm and sensible while using them though, please.) For your convenience, we slaved away, dragging these benches here, perfectly spread out in neat little rows. Please use them to get ready for training, for my sanity. I will read out your names in alphabetical order by surname and give you your locker number. Then I will come tell each of you in turn, your code."

 _112,_ that was my locker number. Right next to Chiara's. So at least if one of us forgets our number... well, the other probably will have forgotten as well. I put the knife we had used for the picnic loaf, in my locker just for the sake of storing something. Larkspur informed us that the rest of our stuff should be in the hall by now, so at the end of the tour, we could go collect it. The remainder of the tour showed us multiple lecture theatres, a mini museum, a massive library and an entire building specifically for dorm rooms. Nothing disappointed; everything exceeded expectations. This was a place of wonders, and Chiara and I lived here.

Returning to the hall, group Orange appeared to be one of the last back. A sea of bags and chattering students filled the space. Immediately, we started to search for our luggage but didn't find it until 10 minutes later. Instantly, I began sorting out which bag could go into our lockers and which we would need for the night. Chiara occasionally helped but I was in such an excited flurry that she drifted off into a daydream. 

Several people began to grow impatient. We weren't allowed anywhere apart from this hall for another hour. The chatter was steadily growing. I could see someone next to us wasn't enjoying this chaotic experience. I decided to be a good citizen and go and talk to her. She was also a Faunus with a cute bunny tail that was wiggling with worry. On her bag it said "Selèna Quince".

I nudged Chiara and we wandered over to the girl. I started with "Hello Selena?". I pronounced it selEEna. Chiara, being the most literate of us, corrected my pronunciation to selENa. I argued back saying that mine was right. Chiara replied "But the accent on the "e", because it goes downwards, means that the sound should go downwards also, making it selENa." Our argument continued in this manner for several moments until the girls simply said "Call me Q". Clearly she was relieved when we smiled and accepted it without question. After all, nicknames were cool and her surname did begin with a 'Q'.

The conversation soon fizzled out after that so we gradually drifted back to our stuff, soon growing bored. Eventually, we were allowed out. Like animals do when the gate is open, everyone in the hall gradually rose and slowly wandered over to doors. Chiara and I had decided to head to our lockers, which we did, just about remembering 112. Excitedly, I began explaining my plan that I had spent the hour composing. Certain things we could store in my locker, others in Chiara's locker, the rest we would take into the ballroom. I had even planned for the next morning. 

However, I had barely got past the first bag, when Chiara interrupted. Annoyed at the break in my flow, I looked up to see what Chiara had to say. "Well, we're going into the canteen first, so we might as well leave our stuff here as it's probably going to be crowded." It was a sensible point but all I could manage was a dejected "Oh". At least, we would be able to use it later.

After a nice meal of macaroni cheese, we meandered back to our lockers (112 -I mustn't forget). Finally I was able to explain, organise and sort our stuff into our lockers and our arms. Chiara surprisingly served as a great bag stand. I might have used the phrase "Hold!" a little too often though. 

10 minutes later, Chiara and I were slowly making our way to the ballroom. The map on my scroll was very much our best friend. I still couldn't imagine myself ever being able to find my way to somewhere, let alone finding my way around the whole school. We were walking down one corridor but found the staffroom to be where we calculated the ballroom to be. Soon, however, we worked out that the first corridor we thought we had to miss, was, in fact, a smudge on my scroll. Back on the right track, we came to the ballroom.

Just as we were about to enter, a boy with a breastplate on top of a hoodie, stepped out of the door. Absent-mindedly, I stepped to the side to let him past. Unfortunately, he did the same. I then, instinctively, stepped to the other side. He did the same. This awkward dance to-and-fro continued for several moments until Chiara pulled me backwards by my forest-green hood. The boy (who I later learned, was called Jaune) hurried away, muttering something about "natural lady charmer".

I caught the door as it was swinging shut behind the boy. Chiara and I stepped into the ballroom. And I squealed. Rows of sleeping bags lay under a multitude of glistening chandeliers. Deep red curtains hung elegantly across large windows. Two stairs curved down from an upper balcony. It was the grandest room I had every seen in my life. And we were to sleep here with everyone else all night. I just could't say anything to express my joy. Instead, I squealed and clung maybe too tightly onto Chiara.

Once I had set up camp (an experience I got too excited doing), I settled down and began to plait Chiara's long ginger hair. I couldn't wait for initiation tomorrow! But first I would need some sleep. Some amazing sleep, under chandeliers and among some new friends. Beacon life was great! 


	12. How (Not) To Make Friends (CJ)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter seems to have become far too long. Now I understand Ice_Fox’s problem with chapter lengths...

Ozpin’s speech was, to be honest, more than a little discouraging. “Wasted energy”? I considered myself to be a fairly hardworking person, but I did sometimes worry that I had a lack of dedication to the things that mattered (by which I mean I get sidetracked during training, by thoughts of more enjoyable things I could be doing). I could already see that if I didn’t want to get thrown out of Beacon, I was going to have to put in a lot of effort.

Shortly after the Headmaster’s brief and disconcerting speech, we were organised into groups for a tour of the school; fortunately I was placed with Stella, who hopefully would make it less awkward. I also recognised the fox-tailed girl whom I had seen earlier. From the back, I could only see her green rucksack and dark wavy hair - as well as the tail, of course - but I felt too shy to approach her and meet her face-to-face, even though she seemed to have a lot in common with me. (By ‘a lot in common’ I mean the ginger tail and the fact that neither of us seemed particularly sociable... so maybe it wasn’t worth embarrassing myself by trying to make friends.)

I watched Stella chatting casually to the freckled girl with pink-streaked hair next to her, as we followed Professor Larkspur around the school, being shown around the multitude of classrooms and training rooms and corridors. Gods, this place was massive. How was I supposed to find my way around without getting lost? 

“A map of the school will be sent to your scroll,” said Professor Larkspur, as though reading my mind, “and the route to your classroom will be highlighted before each lesson, so hopefully we won’t have to send out too many search parties.” 

I knew this was just a joke, but I couldn’t help thinking how embarrassing it would be if a search party _was_ sent out for me. Hopefully Stella would remember her way around. Or my teammates would. If only I knew who my teammates were going to be...

Soon we were assigned our lockers - which were _rocket-propelled_ , unbelievably enough, and could be sent to a set destination using one’s scroll. I could see the appeal in this if you needed to summon your weapon in battle, but it did seem like a waste of fuel to have lockers zooming all over the school grounds. Besides, I had gotten used to carrying Obscisor Spark over my shoulder, as it was a relatively light weapon. I called it a “katana-sniper-bayonet”, which may sound ridiculous, but I had seen other students with even weirder weapons - like the girl with the massive, mechanised scythe-like contraption that was about as long as she was tall. I had seen her capering around earlier when we got off of the airship, and I saw her again as we passed another group on the tour of the school. Just another student I kept seeing, but didn’t have the courage to introduce myself to. 

Soon after the tours, we were basically left to our own devices in the hall. I was getting slightly bored, and evidently Stella was too, because she started doing that thing called ‘making friends’. I flushed with embarrassment when she calmly walked over to a blonde girl in a purple shirt (another Faunus - she had a little rabbit tail) and said, “Hello, Selina!” 

The girl looked slightly startled - as was I. How in the world did my sister know her name? Then, with even more embarrassment, I saw that Stella was looking at the name “Sèlena Quince” on the side of her bag. “Um, Stella,” I hissed, “I think it’s pronounced _Sellena_.”

My sister is brilliant, but sometimes she can be downright argumentative. Instead of apologising to the girl, she continued to insist that she _knew_ how to read, and that _Sellena_ wasn’t a name. Thankfully our little argument was interrupted when the girl shrugged and said, “Call me Q.”

”Er... hi, Q,” I began, fearing the awkward small talk that would surely follow. But luckily, we were ushered away to dinner before a conversation could be born.

* * *

 Several hours later, we were instructed to go to bed. On the floor. In the ballroom. In front of everybody else. 

Never before had I slept in such a grand, open space before, let alone one filled with so many strangers (and chandeliers!). And it felt strange sleeping on the bare floor in an itchy bag, without a mattress to share with Stella. Still, it was only for one night, I reminded myself. I had changed into my peach-coloured nightdress (onto the back of which my mum had sewn a short “tail-sleeve” to account for my Faunus feature), and I had brought a pair of fuzzy cat-shaped slippers that were getting a bit too small for my feet. I had also brought a couple of books with me, so whilst Stella sat behind me plaiting my long ginger hair, I attempted to read - but there was so much bustle and chatter in the ballroom, and I was too tired to concentrate. I gave up after the first two pages.

I don’t know what time Stella fell asleep, but I know it must have been past midnight when I was still lying awake, staring at the chandeliers on the ceiling. I had tried to ignore everyone else’s antics (which was especially difficult when three of the girls started having a row in the middle of the room), but now everyone else seemed to be asleep, it was _too_ quiet.

From the other side of the hall, there came a faint glow. Someone had forgotten to turn their scroll off, probably. But when I rolled over in my sleeping bag to take a closer look, I saw that the glow was emanating from the bunny-tailed girl Q, who was asleep in the corner of the room. I guessed this was something to with her semblance - the ability to radiate light, like a firefly. With her peaceful sleeping face, her soft waves of blonde hair and the halo of light surrounding her, she looked almost angelic. I wondered what she was like. Probably graceful, quiet, kind, serene. Even though I had sort of met her already, I’m not a very good judge of character, so I was left to speculate.

I then realised that she would probably find it slightly creepy if she knew I was staring at her in her sleep. I hadn’t meant to be ‘creepy’ at all - just inquisitive - but I rolled back over anyway, snuggled my head down against my red panda tail, and tried to get to sleep. After all, tomorrow was Initation Day.

 


	14. I'll Take The Highway (Q)

I buttoned my shirt quickly, pulling it tight over my chest. I could feel the stares rolling off me. My hands were such tense claws I had trouble with fastening each button. I had had enough of being stared at.

I had changed in the main hall, too lazy to find somewhere 'private'. I didn't see a problem with that. It wasn't as though I just stripped naked- though I saw several jerks who would love it if I did. I changed my underwear inside my sleeping bag, and managed to yank on the black shorts I wore under my skirt. But changing in a sleeping bag was awkward and I couldn't be bothered.

So I stood up.

This was apparently the wrong thing to do.

The moment I stood up in my sports bra, I got a ton of catcalls and disaproving stares.

"What are you doing?!" Jaz hissied at me, still in her fuzzy pyjamas.

"Er... changing?" I replied as I wriggled my short skirt over my hips.

She stared at me like I had lost my mind. I could hear the mutters start. Several... uncalled for words were thrown in my direction. I'm not going to repeat them. I've had worse spat in my face.

"In front of _everyone_!" Jaz exclaimed.

I threw my yellow vest over my head. I didn't trust myself not to say anything right then.

"You're in your bra!" Jaz started again.

Why was everyone so obsessed with my bra! I have boobs. We all know that. I wear a bra. We all know that. So why can't everyone shut their mouths and move on like normal people!

Teenage idiots.

By the time my shirt was on, everyone seemed to calm down. I flopped back to the floor to pull on my socks and boots. I felt a small thrill run through me as I tightened the straps that held my knee socks up. I got them to go to Beacon, another small piece of rebellion. My boots were a classic. I'd had the same style since I was 14 years old. The worn black leather had become part of my reputation back home.

I reached for my bag, a plain grey rucksack with my full name scrawled on the side with a marker. I hadn't had much to bring with me and it was all I needed. I got out my hairbrush and started pulling it through my tangled mess of hair. Privately, I was pretty chuffed with my hair. It hung wildly from shoulders and shone burnished gold in the sun, with a small curl here and there. Small bangs either curled delicately around my face or stuck up in the air like a lion's mane.

I finally strode into the bathroom. The shininess took me by surprise. It was so different from home. I was actually squinting as I brushed my teeth quickly. I wasn't sure leaving my bag alone was the best idea I've ever had, but I didn't want to draw any more attention to myself.

I was here to make friends, not enemies.

 

After an awkward breakfast- which was me wedged into a corner with Jaz prattling on at me and staring at the table top. I didn't eat anything, not in the mood to deal with food. My dinner should last. I kept my face blank and my breathing robotic, but inside, my heart was pounding like thunder. This was initation.

My daggers were a comforting weight at my side. That I could deal with. I knew fighting way more than I did people. But all the other weapons I'd seen were impressive, powerful more than ones; like one girl I'd seen with a scythe/sniper rifle that was bigger than she was. I remembered Jaz's weapon being a sword or something.

I was honestly terrified my daggers were too... basic.

But I didn't have time to be worried about it now as we made our way to the cliffs where we were being evaluated. And if my legs were shaking, that was nobody's business but mine. 

We lined up on launch pads to be catapaulted into the forest. What the hell, why not? Landing strategies would be a breeze. The feeling of the wind rushing past me sent me into a rush of excitement. My mother's words ran through my head, " _Huntsmen are all going to hell, and you'll go down with them_."

Well, I'd rather take the highway than the staircase.

"Highway to Hell, I'm on the Highway to Hell."


	15. Fuzzballs, Pancakes and Cliffs (SJ)

Today was initiation day. Normally when I wake up in a different place, it is in a tent when we go camping. This morning, however, I was waking up to bright sunlight streaming through the tall windows of the ballroom. The weather promised to be good; exactly what Chiara and I were hoping for. Rolling over, I saw Chiara must already be up because her sleeping bag was vacant. She was a morning person whilst I was a night person. Turning to the other side, I saw Latte stirring. As far as others had told me, the teams at Beacon were teams of four. Already, I could list more than four people who I knew. So far, everything was going well.

When Chiara returned, I undid the bobble that tied Chiara's plait up last night. Gently, I coaxed the plait apart revealing beautiful cascades of wavering ginger hair. I was so proud of my little ginger fuzzball (don't tell her I said that though). Gathering my toiletries, I asked Chiara where the bathroom was. She gave me directions and a look that said wait-till-you-see. Not knowing what to expect, I followed the route she had told me.

The look she gave me was a worthy one. The spotless bathroom gleamed from the polished metal taps to the wall of mirrors above them. Just casually brushing my teeth in my pyjamas felt inadequate compared to the gleaming spacious room I was in. I decided to get changed in a cubicle for space that I wouldn't get in a sleeping bag. Today however, I put on a short sleeved jacket instead of the long-sleeved one I had worn yesterday, in order to also wear my weapon.

I returned to the ballroom to find that most had packed up their stuff. I hurried over to Chiara who helped me pack up the last few bits. Then we headed off for the canteen, which was becoming a familiar place.  Walking down the long isles of benches, I could see a few early students nearly finishing their breakfast. A girl and a boy sat together eating pancakes. The girl had almost finished hers but the boy's mind seemed elsewhere. Whatever the situation was between them, all I know I cared about, was the fact that they were eating pancakes. And that fact made me hungry. Especially, hungry for pancakes.

As we drew near to the serving hatch, Chiara stood on tiptoes to see what there was. An appealing list of delicious thing was relayed to me but my mind was still set on pancakes. However, I did manage to notice Chiara was the only one with a tray; I didn't know if that was a coincidence or if there was something we didn't know. Eh, I'm sure it was nothing.

About 5 minutes later, we chose to sit down on a quiet bench and begin our breakfasts. Chiara had bought some croissants and a pain au chocolat and we had agreed to share each other's breakfasts. The problem with choosing the quietest bench meant that everyone else chooses it. Soon, a large group of older students sat down practically next to us. It did feel rather intimidating.

Eager to get going, Chiara and I immediately headed to our lockers (clearly it took more than one sleep to forget locker 112). I got out my weapon, Cloaked Thorn, as Chiara retrieved her's (Obsisor Spark). For Professor Larkspur's sake, I sat down on one of the benches to strap my gauntlets onto my wrists. Carefully, I slid a blade into each gauntlet. Whatever initiation entailed, my weapon would probably be the only way into this school.

One problem with being eager, is that you often end up with more time to kill than you know what to do with. That is how we ended up in the library when the call saying "would all first year students please report to Beacon cliff for initiation" crackled on a speaker above the C-J section of fiction books. I had to physically drag Chiara away from the book she was reading. In large font on the front cover, it said "From the author who brought us The Thief and the Butcher!". Hurriedly returning the book to the shelf, Chiara fell in alongside me as we dashed from the library.

We were just about to leave the school building when I remembered that I had forgotten something. Breathlessly telling Chiara the situation, we sprinted back down the empty corridors to our locker. This was not the time to forget my locker number and luckily I did not. I unlocked the door, swung it open and rummaged through the bags. I almost had to crawl inside my locker to reach it. Finally, I pulled back holding a necklace.

To anyone else, it seemed as if this necklace was not worth the effort. It consisted of a many-faceted, pointed-ended blue cylinder strung on some string. Joining the pendant to the string, was the two wings of a sycamore seed. However, the two wings acted as a clasp, which, when pushed, separated the casing around the source of the blue colour. This neckless did actually contain one single crystal of ice dust. All I'd need for the initiation.

Fully sprinting down the corridor, I fastened the necklace around my neck, then tucked it under my cape. Chiara and I made a final push when we saw all of the other first year students lined up along the cliffside.  As we jogged up to the line of students, I saw grey squares with the Beacon Academy symbol, on the floor, which each student was stood on. I took the penultimate one, and Chiara took the last. Turning up late, did not give off a good first impression. I could see Professor Goodwitch's disapproval, as she raised her eyebrows and made a note on her scroll at our arrival.

From what Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch said, it all sounded reasonably easy: make eye contact with someone, go to the end of the forest, collect something and then return. Destroy any opposition, get monitored and graded for the whole time and be paired with whoever you make eye contact with first. Only, that partner will be with you, in your team of four, for the whole 4 years we're at Beacon. Okay, maybe it is as scary as I first thought.

At the command "Take your positions", everyone readied them selves for what they evidently knew was going to happen. Except from us. I guessed everyone was told at their training school. Suddenly, Chiara was flying through the air next to me. I had no idea what was going on and nearly panicked, until I saw that the grey square she was stood on, was actually on a spring mechanism and realised that they fired us off the side of the cliff! The thing with arriving late, is you always get the worst place. And on this occasion, that meant going first or second. Before I had much time to think of anything else, my square gave a little clicking sound, and I was fired off the face of the cliff. What a great way to start initiation: late and absolutely unprepared!


	16. Red Panda Takes Flight (CJ)

I awoke in darkness, with no recollection of where I was. I thought initially that something was wrong with my duvet and the mattress; the duvet had somehow tucked itself around me in a tight loop, whilst the mattress felt strangely solid. Then I remembered that I was in a sleeping-bag, and the mattress had been replaced by the floor of Beacon’s ballroom. Oh yes... I was at Beacon.

Everybody else was still asleep. I had no idea what time it was, but it looked dark enough to be very early in the morning. Should I check the time on my scroll? But what if the glow woke everybody up? I could still see Q glowing softly in her sleep, but her light was quite faint compared to my scroll’s neon-bright glare. So I stealthily wriggled backwards into my sleeping-bag until I was completely covered, like a caterpillar in a cocoon - then turned my scroll on. Its glaring blue light blasted my eyes immediately. Squinting, I managed to work out that the numbers on its display read 3:28 a.m. _Far too early,_ I thought, dismayed.

Yet I couldn’t get back to sleep; I kept thinking about the day ahead of me. Initiation. Teammates. Fighting Grimm. Searching through the Forest. Initiation. _Teammates._  

I tried to read inside my sleeping-bag, but holding the book at the right angle gave me neck ache. Initiation. Proving my skills.

I rolled over, closed my eyes, then opened them and rolled over again. Teammates. Fighting Grimm.

I tried to remember the verses of an old poem, but all that repeated in my head was the line “I wandered lonely as a cloud.” Initiation. Finding a partner. I would find Stella, of course. But what if she found someone before me? I would look for someone else, try to sneak up on them without them seeing me. Rochelle, maybe, or Q. No, I had embarrassed myself in front of both. _I wandered lonely as a cloud._ Fighting Grimm -   _that floats on high -_ teammates - _a host of golden daffodils..._

And before I knew it, the morning sunlight was breaking through the curtains. Everyone was still asleep. Quietly I slipped out of my sleeping-bag, put on my dressing-gown and fuzzy cat-shaped slippers, and padded off to the bathroom.

Nearly half an hour later, I emerged fully dressed, with my hands smelling of rose petals and vanilla and black pepper and ginger (I couldn’t resist trying out all the soaps!). I returned to the ballroom to find most of the students awake, including Stella, who insisted on unraveling my plaits for me.

Whilst Stella went to the bathroom, I started to roll up my sleeping-bag. My head was stuffy with tiredness and I just wanted a cup of coffee, but caffeine often makes me jittery - especially when I’m nervous. Hopefully breakfast would wake me up a bit.

Suddenly a small, slim figure plopped down beside me. “HIII!!!” 

I jumped and looked round. It was Stella’s friend with the pink hairstreaks. She had a cinnamon-like dusting of freckles across her nose and a mischievous, impish face - a face which was now laughing immoderately at me. “I scared you, didn’t I? I’m Latte. You’re Stella’s sister.” This was a statement, not a question.

”M-my name’s Chiara,” I said.

”Hi, Chiara. Why do you have toilet paper on your tail?”

 I hastily inspected my tail. There was a tissue stuck to it - a clean tissue, luckily, which must have fallen out of my dressing-gown pocket. “It’s not toilet paper. It’s just a tissue. A clean one.”

”Like I said - toilet paper. Eww.” She giggled again and sprang up from the floor. “I’m going for breakfast. Bye, Stella’s Sister!”

Great. Now I had embarrassed myself in front of _three_ people. I told Stella as much whilst we were eating breakfast, but she just huffed at me. “Stop worrying about other people. You’re my amazing little sister and you’re going to be an amazing Huntress, right?”

”I’m a day older than you. And about an inch taller,” I pointed out. “You’re _my_ little sister, if anything.” I finished my croissant and checked the time. “What are we going to do? We’ve still got half an hour.” Waiting for the initiation was making me nervous; I wanted something to distract my mind for a while. So we headed to the library.

The library was astonishingly huge and orderly, with shelf after shelf of books stretching across the room. Hardly anyone else was here. At a table, a curly-haired boy was playing solitaire and chatting to a girl in a yellow jumper; on the next table, a slim, pretty girl with a ponytail was studying a massive textbook. Apart from that, the vast room was deserted. I wandered along, stroking the spines of the books in awe, before settling into a corner with “ _The Ghost and the Traitor”_. I had already read the first two chapters when Stella frantically dragged me out of the library. “We’re late! And I forgot my necklace!”

That was why, when we finally made it out to the cliffside where our Initiation would begin, everyone was already there. Professor Goodwitch gave us a stern look, but said nothing. I’m ashamed to say I was barely listening to Ozpin’s instructions; I was mentally and physically tensed for the trials ahead. 

Suddenly I felt my platform give a swift lurch. Oh Gods, I was being catapulted into the air! _Nonono! I’m not ready for this!_ But it was too late. In that instant I found myself launched from the cliff, like a fledgling forced to fly - or die trying.

 


	17. Hey World, Look at Me (Q)

My daggers were clutched in my hands as I turned myself down towards the trees. As I fell through the leaves, I hooked my  daggers into the bark of a tree to slow my fall. About half way down, I yanked my daggers free and pushed myself away from the tree. I took one step on it and bounced from tree to tree until I hit the ground.

There. Done and dusted. Now... to find a partner and a relic. Where ever the heck they were. The relics were in a temple, which was by the cliffs: so I would go there and hope I would know it when I saw it- and meet my partner on the way there. With any luck, they would know what the hell they were doing. 

I started towards the cliff face looming over me. I held my daggers at my sides, ready for an attack at any moment. Even though I was on guard, I couldn't help but take in the forest around me. It was another thing that was so new to me. There were so many different greens in the leaves above me. The sun shining above the trees made patches of sunlight on the ground. I made a game of trying to step on them. As dumb as it sounded, the little glowy spots reminded me of my semblance. It made me feel, well it made me feel like I was being welcomed. Like I belonged.

 I still didn't know where I was going, just that it was in the direction of the cliffs. The undergrowth was getting thicker and harder to move through. There were brambles clawing my legs and I kicked them away. 

Crack.

My head snapped up as a branch snapped nearby. I raised my daggers and prepared for a Grimm. Slowly, I backed out of the bushes and into a clearing, my head turning in every direction. I was not letting anything creep up on me. But I didn't see black and white armour. 

I caught a flash of green out of the corner of my eye. But it didn't look like a plant. It looked more like... fabric?


	18. The Emerald Forest (SJ)

So yes, as it surprisingly turned out, we were all flying through the air.

It was a pretty amusing sight: a multitude of differently coloured huntsmen and huntresses-in-training flying through the air in a staggered line. Chiara's face was the most funniest thing though. Clearly she was as unprepared as I was, but whilst I was enjoying the thrill of flying through the air at top speed, I'm guessing she was not. In fact, if her wind-battered face was anything to go by, she was definitely not enjoying this.

Normally, I wouldn't consider myself a thrill-seeker but this was a great opportunity I did not want to forget or waste. I felt free! I felt alive! I had never felt like this before, probably wouldn’t ever again, and I loved it. As the wind and air rushed by, I thought of how it must be for a sycamore seed to fall. I'm sure this _felt_ more dynamic but looked a lot weirder compared to the small leaf. Now, I began to understand how birds glide; there were invisible currents in the air, which, like a fast flowing stream or river, you could lean into, be carried, and glide.It was all a matter of feeling their invisible pressure and trusting in them the right amount. Too much and you'll find yourself plummeting like a stone or going head-over-heels. Too little and you're blasted in a tossing whirlwind. Heh, get me, talking like an expert on my first time being fired off a cliff.

In a way, I saw the assessors’ advantage. It was far easier to put students in a new situation (of flying -the obvious choice) and see their 'landing strategy', whilst also spreading them out within the forest for them to get into pairs. I was just hoping that by discovering their plan, I could cheat it. However the only thing I could think of, was a crazy one. Well, here goes! You only get assessed once!

The Emerald Forest spread out before me like a map. We needed to collect something in partners. My ideal partner was in sight and the air currents were my friend. Yet my first approach to a crazy plan was stupid. Tip to anyone being fired off a cliff at high speed: Don't try and shout to someone. It doesn't work.

You've always got to keep trying at things (another tip: this advice often doesn't apply), so I move to the next stage of my stupid plan. Feeling my way cautiously, I shifted my weight from one air current to the next, bobbing and weaving, falling and rising. Patiently, I slowly began making progress to the left. Through the rush of air I could see Chiara's bright ginger tail and hair. Finally my final part of the crazy stupid plan was sooo close and might actually work. If I could just reach out my hand and become Chiara's new shadow...

Aaaaand there was a tree. Of course there was a tree! You know, I'm so smart that before I actually hit the tree, I shouted "Aah, there's a tree!". Well this definitely looks good to the assessors. Yup, that's me there, the one who crashed into a tree. I mean it could have been worse; I could've screamed the whole time and needed to be rescued by someone else. Think positive! At least, no one else seemed to have noticed my failure, not even Chiara. I really hoped this wasn't an indicator of how the rest of initiation was going to go. All I could do now was style it out.

Dejectedly, I grabbed the nearest branch and slid into it's welcoming V-shaped embrace. With my eyes flicking every-which-way, I followed the descent of everyone, until the skies were clear. At least now, I knew everyone was past me and beginning to land.

Quickly, I peered down the tree, scanning for foot and hand holds. There were a few, so I set off at once. I leapt over my current branch, spinning my legs over the fork in the tree whilst pivoting on one hand that was cupping the branch. Using that same hand and the momentum built up from the launch, I swung on the branch until I could comfortably drop down to the next level. From there, I clung to branch I was on with both my feet and hands, then rolled over the edge. Now I was hanging on the underside of an offshoot from a tree. Instantaneously, I let my feet drop, felt the trunk, pushed off from its sturdy surface, then let my hands go. I was propelled through the air away from the tree. The momentum span me round so that I had completed a full double spin before I landed on the leafy floor. Every manoeuvre worked as I had practiced in the forests around my home. Whilst completely for show, the descent from the tree was a high success and hopefully,  _hopefully_ , won back the assessors' faith in me. Yet there was still the whole initiation left to go.

* * *

It was good to back on familiar ground. Flying had been fun but at least now in the forests, I knew every mistake I could make and how to avoid it. Professor Ozpin had said about destroying everything in our path which, to me, suggested the presence of Grimm. This was also equally comforting. Grimm I could handle; it was the unexpected I couldn't. Also, the prospect of pairing. Practically for life. 

It was second nature to me, to judge the position of the sun and my surroundings and work out where I needed to be heading. North. With new faith, I leaped, bound and skidded through the undergrowth, dodging the obstacles as they came. I needed to make haste as I hadn't covered the distance in the air like the others had. For all I knew, everyone may already be paired up near the temple and I would be left to spend the rest of my school life with someone else who had failed. I crashed through the undergrowth with trained precision. My forest green cape fluttered behind me. My eyes flicked from side to side, searching for movement.

It was almost too lovely and peaceful here in the forest to be the place for a school of huntspeople’s initiation. Quietly a white butterfly fluttered through the dappled sunlight. A soothing wave of bird song spread through the forest as a whole forest of birds chattered in the late morning’s air. Surely no Grimm could be where such sweet, happy sounds must repel their negativity. I’d have to move further in, if I were looking for a fight. 

Always north, I ducked and leapt through the rustling trees in search of some life bigger than a scuttling rabbit I had seen a little while ago. I noted the rising sun with a hint of worry as I still had found no one. Earlier, a bright glint flashed through the trees about 5 meters away but it had been going away from my course and I hadn’t wanted to deviate for something that may have been a bird. The excitement that had bubbled within me towards the beginning, slowly fizzled out when still, nothing notable had happened. Judging by the view the cliff had given me, I was still about a third of the way to the place I estimated the temple with the relics may be.

Suddenly, I picked up signs of a large animal or human. Rekindled energy flung me forward to investigate. I speedily ran from tree to tree around the thing that didn’t seem like it had noticed me yet. After I had circled 90° around the thing, I had decided it was human, and by 180° I knew who it was. The sun shined off her hair and top whilst the shade mingled with her skirt and jacket. I had found my pair for the rest of my time at Beacon.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [SQJJ + TWRL Designs](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17623457) by [Fire_Fox_0111](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Fox_0111/pseuds/Fire_Fox_0111), [Gweasel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gweasel/pseuds/Gweasel), [Ice_Fox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ice_Fox/pseuds/Ice_Fox), [Smylie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smylie/pseuds/Smylie), [SupernaturalPhoenix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupernaturalPhoenix/pseuds/SupernaturalPhoenix)




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